


A Frog in the Hand

by Dragon_Lord



Series: High School AU [1]
Category: Zoo (TV)
Genre: Everyone else is mentioned but they don't show up, F/M, Frog Dissection, High School AU, Prom is a big deal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-18
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-08-09 15:18:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7806934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragon_Lord/pseuds/Dragon_Lord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A High School AU in which everyone is going to prom except Jamie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Frog in the Hand

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fluffy little one-shot to soothe the burns of season two.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Zoo, or its characters, sadly.

_April - Junior Year_

Jamie really didn’t want to go to Biology.

In fact, it was a cruel joke that she was being forced to take the class at all. She couldn’t see herself pursuing any kind of career that required a background in science. But an appeal to the schoolboard concerning general education was a fight for another day. Right now, the morning bell was pealing through the school, meaning she was officially Late. However, she managed to slip into the classroom seconds before the door was closed.

“Miss Campbell,” drawled Mrs. Quincy from the dry erase board, “you’re late.”

Jamie’s attempt at a winning smile fell flat as she made her way to her desk next to the window. “Won’t happen again.” She dropped her backpack on the linoleum floor and took her seat. Mrs. Quincy scowled.

“Yes, I’m sure that for the third time this month, it won’t happen again. Now that we’re all here, we can get started with today’s assignment…”

It took less than a minute for Jamie to tune her out, resting her arms on the chilly tabletop and idly plucking at the stray threads on her sweater. She was in the middle of mentally composing the opening paragraph to her latest English assignment (on the not-so-subtle social commentary of _Brave New World_ ) when her lab partner poked her arm.

“Hey, you okay?” His brows were drawn together in concern as he looked at her.

The best word Jamie could settle on to describe Mitch Morgan in the nearly three years that they’d been friends was ‘unkempt’. His wardrobe seemed to consist solely of wrinkled plaid shirts, his glasses were permanently smudged, and his dark hair looked like it had never encountered a comb in its life. While all this normally drove Jamie crazy, the familiarity was comforting after the week she’d had.

“Sure.” She lied, eyeing him curiously. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Mitch shrugged. “Well, you’re the only girl in the class who didn’t cringe a second ago when Mrs. Q said we’d be doing dissections today. Seemed pretty weird, since you nearly cried when you found a dead spider in your locker last week.”

Jamie dropped her head to the desk and groaned in defeat. Beside her, Mitch smirked in understanding.

“Ah, you weren’t paying attention.”

“How could I forget that was today?” They’d known the date for ages; it was on the syllabus. Jamie had been planning to skip and have Mitch go over the basics with her later. But her morning had been so hectic, it must’ve slipped her mind.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the gross stuff.” Mitch pulled on his latex gloves with a rubbery snap and tossed her a pair. “You can take notes.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

A minute later, a limp frog was unceremoniously dropped onto the tray in front of them and Jamie did her best to resist the urge to gag. Judging by Mitch’s snickering, she failed. It was only after they had pinned the limbs down to the rubbery mat and he’d made the first incision (Jamie pointedly looking away) that he spoke.

“So you missed the bus again?”

“Uh, yeah.” She shifted in her seat, started doodling nonsense in the margins of her notebook paper, a nervous habit she’d never been able to break. “I had to make breakfast for my little brother. My mom, uh she wasn’t feeling well.”

Mitch didn’t press the subject—he knew about her mother’s illness. It was a blustery morning last October when he’d found her, hunkered down against the brick wall behind the cafeteria. Sobbing, arms tight around her middle like she couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know how to comfort people, never could find the right words. But he stayed with her. For Jamie, that was enough.

Presently, he said, “You know, if you ever need a ride, I’ve got a car, so…”

Jamie looked at him, but he was staring determinedly at the frog. “So… what?”

“So, I could give you one,” he replied. “A ride, I mean. To school.”

“Don’t you live, like, halfway across town?”

He shrugged again, one-armed, and his reply sounded defensive. “Just offering.”

Jamie grinned and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, letting the matter drop for now. She scribbled down a few labels on the diagram sheet—heart, lungs, stomach. It was nearly impossible for her to identify anything in the red, squished up mess, but Mitch helped.

An especially disgusting waft of dead-frog air drifted Jamie’s way and she was forced to cover her nose. “Ugh, why do you like doing this?”

“Cause I’m a weirdo.” He nudged his glasses up with his wrist, apparently unaffected by the smell.

“I think that’s the small intestine there,” Jamie added, pointing at the carcass, voice muffled through her sleeve. Mitch looked impressed, she noticed. And he was so rarely impressed by anything.

“I think you’re right,” he said with a genuine smile. “Well done, doctor.”

She felt her cheeks heat up in a blush and managed a modest eye roll, waving away the compliment. “Please, that one’s easy.” From her pocket, her phone let out a shrill ping. She hurriedly fished it out and silenced it, smiling apologetically at Mrs. Quincy, before glancing at the screen under the table.

“Chloe says Jackson just asked her to prom,” she informed Mitch.

“You don’t sound happy about that,” he muttered. “Haven’t you been waiting for them to start dating since, like, freshman year?”

“Well yeah,” she blew a strand of hair out of her eyes in frustration, “I have, but I was kind of hoping we’d all go to prom together, like a group thing. That’s how it’s always been. Now everyone’s got dates!”

“Abe?”

“Dariela Marzan, softball player.”

“Makes sense.” He turned to her in confusion. “Wait, what about that guy you’ve been dating? Lionel? Larry?”

Jamie rolled her eyes. “ _Logan_. We were never really dating, just kinda hanging out.”

“But he’s not taking you?”

“No, he’s not.” She kept her eyes down, focused on re-tracing answers on the worksheet over and over. Darkening the lines, trying not to think about going to the prom with Logan.

It took her a moment to realize that Mitch was still staring at her, brown eyes inquisitive. “Did something happen?” he asked, and Jamie got the feeling that he wasn’t just asking to be polite. He really wanted to know.

“Nothing happened,” she sighed. “That’s kind of the point. I kept thinking he was gonna ask me, he never did. Then I finally mentioned it and he told me he’s already taking Dana the cheerleader.” Mitch scoffed as he glared down at the frog once more, shifting its organs around with a bit more force than before.

“Asshole,” he muttered. He’d never hidden his dislike of Logan, not from Jamie, not even from Logan himself. That was the thing about Mitch—he didn’t care if people knew what he thought of them. For all his faults, he had his honesty.

“Yeah, you must be feeling pretty smug right about now,” Jamie said, almost to herself. But Mitch paused.

“Why would I be?”

It was her turn to scoff and she angled her body toward him with a defiant glare. “Please, you’ve always hated Logan. You’ve always told me he’s a jerk and now, you’ve been proven right. So go ahead, say it.”

“Say what?” The assignment lay forgotten between them as Mitch tugged off his bloody gloves. They’d finished with it anyway.

“I told you so!”

Mitch ran a hand through his hair, only messing it up more. “Look, it’s not like I’m happy about it, I just knew he wasn’t good for you! But I’m not gonna gloat, geez.”

“Not like you haven’t gloated before,” Jamie retorted, crossing her arms tightly. “When Benjamin turned out to be dating me just for a dare. Or before that, when Ethan cheated on me.”

“Okay, no I didn’t like either of those guys,” Mitch replied, trying to keep his voice down. They were getting looks from the table behind them. “And I may have told you that, but that doesn’t mean I gloated when you broke up with them.”

“Not explicitly, no, but you always had this holier-than-thou attitude about it.” She adopted a faux-pitying look, clasping her hands dramatically. “Like, ‘oh, poor Jamie, always going out with the wrong guys, isn’t she naïve?’”

“Maybe that has something to do with your shitty taste in guys!” He shot back.

And there was the brutal honesty again. Jamie dropped her arms, taken aback at the sting of that last comment. Mitch looked like he instantly regretted saying it when he saw her blue eyes watering. He backpedaled.

"Shit, Jamie, I didn’t mean—"

She gave him a sharp warning look and he quieted uncertainly. Watched as she wordlessly stood up to turn in their worksheet. When she returned, she folded her arms on the tabletop and refused to look at him. The rest of the class period was spent in uncomfortable silence until the bell finally shrilled. Jamie was the first one out the door. Mitch scrambled for his backpack and followed her.

She knew he was right, of course. She’d had enough terrible boyfriends in the past to gain a little self-awareness. For whatever reason, she always attracted the douchebags, the cheaters, the liars. Maybe it was her desire to see the good in everyone that led her to be taken advantage of again and again. It was a problem of hers, she knew. But that didn’t mean she wanted it to be thrown in her face.

Though the school hallways were crowded with students, she kept a steady pace as she plowed through, knocking elbows, bumping into backpacks. She could hear Mitch behind her, calling her name, catching up. Damn his long legs.

“Jamie, will you just listen to me?” He finally reached her at her locker as she fumbled with her combination in frustration. “Here, let me.” He gently nudged her aside, twisted the numbers in easily, swung the metal door open. Jamie raised her eyebrows.

“Thanks,” she muttered.

“Be sure to check for spiders,” Mitch offered, smirking. She didn’t respond and he sighed. “Look, I’m really sorry about what I said back there. It was stupid and I didn’t mean it.”

Jamie hesitated in retrieving her textbook, pale fingers curling around the spine. An apology from Mitch Morgan was a rare thing. Biting her lip, she finally looked up at him and shrugged one shoulder. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have gotten all emotional like that. Just…” She swallowed, eyes downcast like she was studying the scuffs on the floor. “Things have been hard. At home.”

Mitch’s gaze softened. “Yeah, I know,” he murmured. “I’m sorry about that, too.”

“Not your fault.” Their eyes met, she gave him a sad smile.

The warning bell rang and the moment was broken. Jamie shut her locker with a clang, turning to leave. Mitch fell into step with her and made sure to take short strides so she could keep up. “You know, I don’t have a date to prom either.”

Jamie eyed him curiously—he looked straight ahead. “Is that your way of asking me to go with you?”

“Not, like, as a date,” he huffed, scratching at the back of his neck. “Just as friends. Everyone else is going together, this’d just be more convenient.”

She gave him a teasing grin. “Right, cause you can give me a ride in that car of yours, huh?”

“Do you wanna go or not?”

They had come to a stop at an intersection in the hallway, each headed the opposite direction. Jamie made a show of wrinkling her nose and pretending to think it over before she sighed dramatically. “I guess so,” she said with a faux-bored expression. “I mean, I already have my dress. Be a shame to waste it.”

“Great,” Mitch nodded decisively. “I’ll pick you up at 7:00.”

As he turned to leave, Jamie added, “It’s blue, by the way.”

“What is?”

“My dress,” she said. “It’s periwinkle blue. Just in case you wanted to do the whole ‘matching tie’ thing.”

He shook his head and turned away from her. “Not a date!”

Jamie watched him leave, impish grin still fixed on her face, and surprised to feel a giddy excitement bubbling within her at the prospect of their not-date. After all, going with a friend would be immensely better than going alone. She swiftly turned on her heel and headed for Geometry with an extra spring in her step.

**Author's Note:**

> I am planning a sequel that will cover prom night, but please be patient with me. I'm going back to college next week, so I won't have as much free time to work on it.
> 
> And, in case you didn't catch it, Dana (aka Logan's date) is a reference to Kristen Connolly's character in The Cabin in the Woods!
> 
> I always welcome feedback, so please review and let me know how I did!


End file.
